Prospectus Hit List for May 31

Hit List for May 30
Hit List for June 3Hit List updates are published Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, starting April 2, 2014. Data presented here is based on games through the day prior to publication.Teams are ordered based on Adjusted Hit List Factor, a computer generated number, and the author isn't responsible for the order of the teams.

29

25

26.8

27.4

28.5

.513

.493

26.0%

9.4%

35.4%

7.2%

-6.9%

Barry Zito's K:BB ratio as a Giant is 1.6. His K:BB ratio in his final four seasons as an Athletic: 1.7.

2

34

20

30.5

30.3

30.5

.541

.521

15.6%

50.6%

66.3%

5.5%

14.5%

You can't deny it: this Pirates team is a Team of Destiny! (Their destiny is to go 46-62 the rest of the way and finish with 80 wins.)

3

32

21

32.1

31.0

29.9

.550

.530

72.0%

7.3%

79.3%

4.2%

-2.3%

On Thursday, the Blue Jays ran into some Minor difficulties, which is to note simply that the Braves pitcher made it difficult to score runs and, consequently, difficult for the Blue Jays to win.

4

29

24

29.3

29.1

29.3

.523

.543

18.8%

22.5%

41.3%

4.0%

-13.4%

Their hitters know how to work it, they rank fifth in the circuit, goin' Cleveland walks, Cleveland walks/they can take ball four so they're wearing out the floor goin' Cleveland walks, Cleveland walks!

5

33

22

32.7

32.7

31.9

.563

.582

36.8%

28.8%

65.6%

3.5%

6.8%

Jackie Bradley, Jr. got his first big-league hit since April 5, a fact only slightly influenced by the fact he has been in the minors for the past month.

6

33

20

32.5

32.0

31.8

.580

.600

75.8%

13.0%

88.8%

2.7%

-1.6%

With three hits Thursday to raise his average to .370, Jurickson has looked awfully good Sofar.

7

25

29

26.2

27.4

26.5

.520

.540

6.0%

16.4%

22.5%

1.7%

3.3%

Josh Hamilton (back) (not back back) (this is confusing, but he's not back, I mean to say that he's hurt (back(not back, but his back))) didn't play.

8

30

24

29.1

29.5

29.2

.508

.528

6.5%

13.1%

19.6%

1.5%

6.1%

Manny Machado has a ridiculous 25 doubles already. You know who never had 25 doubles in a season? Good, email me, so I can use that as a cool fun fact.

9

22

29

24.9

21.1

21.3

.456

.476

1.2%

2.1%

3.2%

0.9%

-5.5%

When it comes to disappointing young Royals, you just have to ignore the low OPS and just be thankful they aren't dressing up like Nazis for costume parties.

10

22

29

22.0

22.0

21.8

.458

.438

2.6%

1.5%

4.1%

0.6%

1.5%

No two Mets combined have struck out as many batters as Matt Harvey.

11

22

30

26.7

28.6

28.6

.496

.476

0.1%

2.1%

2.2%

0.4%

0.0%

That Kevin Gregg entered Thursday without allowing an earned run this season isn't the least bit surprising. Surprised? Oh, no, not me. Oh, wait, you mean he's still active? Well that changes everything.

23

31

22.8

25.7

26.4

.464

.484

0.3%

1.8%

2.1%

0.4%

-0.8%

23

28

23.1

21.6

22.9

.427

.446

0.3%

0.5%

0.8%

0.3%

0.4%

The Twins are like your weird friend who still won't get a cell phone. "Strikeouts? Psh, that's just so the government can track you."

14

29

24

28.5

29.7

30.1

.541

.561

17.7%

25.9%

43.6%

0.2%

5.2%

The AL East is 20 games over .500.

15

35

18

34.4

32.5

31.7

.585

.566

49.2%

42.4%

91.6%

0.2%

10.7%

After Michael Wacha's debut Thursday, the Cardinals now have 10 pitchers with sub-3 ERAs. The Astros, for instance, have none.

16

17

37

17.9

16.0

17.9

.352

.371

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Only 28 players have a three-true-outcomes rate higher than Chris Carter's one-true-outcome rate.

17

13

41

16.3

13.5

13.4

.329

.312

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

-0.0%

Closer Steve Cishek has one more save (five) than intentional walk. No other closer in baseball has IBB'd more than two, and *all* the closers in the league combined have issued just 13, total.

18

19

33

21.0

21.7

23.3

.446

.426

0.0%

0.4%

0.4%

-0.2%

-1.9%

And just like that, Kyle Lohse is available again.

19

29

23

32.4

35.7

34.9

.605

.624

78.0%

10.9%

88.9%

-0.7%

0.7%

As the Tigers learned in the 11th inning Thursday, never put Putkonen in when you can just put Cone in. (Alas, the Tigers have nobody named Cone.)

20

24

29

23.6

23.6

23.8

.459

.440

2.3%

1.3%

3.6%

-0.7%

-0.4%

The only player taken by the Padres in the first round who is currently on a 25-man roster is the Rays reliever Cesar Ramos. [Morning edit: Also Tim Stauffer!]

21

23

31

23.0

22.0

23.4

.461

.481

0.6%

1.7%

2.3%

-1.2%

-2.3%

The Blue Jays have been intentionally walked as often as Conor Gillaspie.

22

22

30

21.7

24.6

24.4

.510

.490

16.3%

5.7%

22.0%

-1.2%

-2.5%

Scott Van Slyke hitting cleanup for the richest team in history.

23

28

26

29.8

31.3

30.5

.507

.487

10.2%

4.0%

14.2%

-1.2%

-11.1%

Boy, it'll be awkward when teams start giving Todd Helton presents during his farewell tour around the league this summer. "But I haven't announced anyth...," he'll say, and they'll gently put a finger to his lips.

24

26

28

21.6

22.2

22.0

.451

.431

4.5%

3.9%

8.4%

-1.3%

-1.3%

As bad as he's been, Ryan Howard will be lucky to get more than five or six undeserved first-place MVP votes this year.

25

24

27

22.1

22.7

22.0

.459

.479

1.8%

3.6%

5.4%

-2.6%

-2.0%

Yeah, I saw the National Spelling Bee. Big whoop. Let's see 'em spell Deunte Heath on the first try.

26

33

21

33.6

33.2

32.1

.583

.564

35.1%

48.1%

83.2%

-2.9%

1.3%

By this point, these sorts of fun facts have usually evaporated, but Shin-Soo Choo has still been hit by as many or more pitches as/than 13 entire teams.

27

27

27

24.3

23.9

24.1

.496

.476

20.9%

13.9%

34.8%

-5.0%

-7.2%

After Strasburg pitches tonight, the Nationals will make the controversial decision to shut him down, for at least four days. These doctors never want us to have any fun.

28

30

23

28.2

26.3

26.4

.545

.564

38.3%

28.4%

66.8%

-5.0%

-13.2%

Mariano Rivera has a 2.21 career ERA, which is really something, but what's really really something is that he's had an ERA as high as 2.21 just once in the past 11 seasons.

29

31

24

30.2

30.5

29.7

.534

.554

17.9%

31.3%

49.2%

-5.7%

16.3%

The A's have drawn 231 walks this year. Both Chicago teams have combined to draw 245 walks this year.

Re: Manny Machado...it appears, after a non-exhaustive search, that Norm Cash is the best hitter never to get at least 25 doubles in any season, maxing out at 23 in 1965. More details in the e-mail I sent to you, Sam.